Apr.22

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

Democratic Presidential Candidate of the Week, #37: Jon Tester

Here are the candidates we've profiled so far:

40. Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ)
41. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
42. Al Franken

And now, it's former senator Jon Tester.

• Full Name: Raymond Jon Tester
  
  
• Age on January 20, 2029: 72
  
  
• Background: We don't know a word that is the opposite of "carpetbagger," but if Webster's ever decides to add one, "Tester" would be appropriate. He was born in the Big Sky state, and is descended from LDS pioneers on his father's side and Swedish pioneers on his mother's. His paternal grandfather was a homesteader and a farmer, his father was a homesteader and a farmer, and Tester and his wife are farmers (though not homesteaders). Perhaps appropriately for a Democratic farmer in a sea of red, Tester converted his farm over to organic products in the 1980s. There is no truth, however, to the rumor that he drives a Prius, wears Birkenstock sandals, or only eats granola for breakfast.
  
  Prior to commencing his farming career, Tester took a Bachelor's degree in music at what was then the University of Great Falls, and is now the University of Providence. Don't let the new name fool you, however—it's in Montana. The Providence in question is not the city in Rhode Island, but instead God's providence, as it is a Catholic university. He spent 2 years teaching music before being lured back to farming by the siren call of... hay and manure, we guess.
  
  
• Political Experience: Tester's résumé is long and impressive. He served for years on a number of local boards and committees, like the Big Sandy School Board of Trustees, and the Chouteau County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, before his name finally appeared on a ballot. He served in the Montana state Senate from 1999-2007, rising to president of that body before running up against term limits. He then ran for the U.S. Senate, and won three close elections, in 2006, 2012 and 2018 before going down to defeat in 2024.
  
  
• Signature Issue(s): Veterans. He served as chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and was able to get a number of bills that he sponsored passed into law, including the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2024, the Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act of 2022 and the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019.
  
  
• What Would His Pitch Be?: "I can win over NeverTrump Republicans."
  
  
• Instructive Quote: "We've got a communication problem within the Party. We don't spend enough time getting out to people outside of our bubble."
  
  
• Completely Trivial Fact: It's surely not trivial to him, but when Tester was nine, he lost three fingers on his left hand (everything but the pinky and the thumb) in a farm accident. Presumably, that does cut down on the potential for a road rage incident.
  
  
• Recent News: Like everyone who is in politics, was once in politics, or who hopes to be in politics, Tester now has a podcast, announced last week. His co-host is journalist Maritsa Georgiou.
  
  
• Strengths for the Democratic Primaries: (1) Tester is exactly the kind of candidate that Iowa Democrats like, and he would do well in New Hampshire, too; (2) He is great at retail campaigning, and knows a thing or two about showing up to the county fair and trying a funnel cake or some deep-fried butter; (3) There aren't too many Democrats better positioned than he to try to lure back the Obama/Trump voters.
  
  
• Weaknesses for the Democratic Primaries: (1) A guy who is in his seventies, and is as square as his signature flat-top haircut, is not what younger Democrats (those below the age of 60 or so) are looking for right now; (2) By virtue of representing a very red state, he's cast some votes that will not please the Democratic rank-and-file, like voting for Keystone XL or against gun-control legislation; (3) Montana has 18 delegates; roughly 2,000 are needed for the nomination. That's not exactly the ace in the hole that being able to rely on, say, California's 400 delegates is.
  
  
• Polls: Because he is not known nationally, only 21% of Americans "approve" of Tester. That ranks him #264th of the 400 or so politicians polled by YouGov on a regular basis. In his general vicinity, among others, are Donald Rumsfeld, who is dead, Phyllis Schlafly, who is also dead, and Lyndon LaRouche, who is—stop us if you've heard this before—dead. The good news is that Tester is (slightly) outpolling Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Laura Loomer and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ).
  
  
• How Does the Readership Feel?: We asked readers for their thoughts on Tester running for president; here are some of those responses:
  
  
  • K.R. in Austin, TX: I was in Bozeman in March. It made me sad to see the remnants of the sign for Tester's Bozeman office:
    
    
    
    He was a special senator to be able to hang on for so long in Montana.
    
    
  • J.C. in Honolulu, HI: Maybe Secretary of the Interior or Secretary of Agriculture but Tester will never be a presidential nominee, much less President of the United States.
    
    
  • J.B. in Bozeman, MT: It would be great to see a fellow native Montanan in the Oval Office. I have also met Tester a few times, including at a pro-choice rally at Montana State University, and he seems like a kind human. However, I think Montana is just too small of a pond. He does have genuine blue-collar credentials, and also has been a champion of liberal causes despite being from a red state. I could maybe see him as vice presidential candidate, although MAYBE contributing our generally red 4 EV's may not be worth it versus other veep candidates.
    
    
  • C.F. in Tigard, OR: Jon Tester was a good fit for Montana until voters decided he wasn't. I'm not sure he has the national appeal, with an upcoming Democratic primary electorate that will be calling for more proactive solutions than he was able to support as a Senator from Montana. While he would be younger than Joe Biden or Donald Trump, he still would be 72 in 2029, and that doesn't sound like passing a torch to the next generation. Seems like he would be great to collaborate with his social-media-savvy friend Cory Booker on Booker's presidential campaign, though.
    
    
  • D.W. in Manhattan, MT (much smaller than its New York namesake): I'm a pretty average Montanan, and Jon Tester is the only representative I've met in three different situations, and none of them were campaign-related. The man was really out and about whenever he was in Montana, and really listened to his people. Oh, and his office helped the wife and I with IRS problems.
    
    The only reason Tester lost Montana last year is because of the changing demographics and rapid growth of the Treasure State. The folks moving in are overwhelmingly red folks "fleeing" blue states. That's partly why he didn't really run on the "my opponent is a carpetbagger" bit: There are 195,000 MORE Montanans now than when he first ran in 2006 (a full 20% growth!). And since he was really in tune with Native folks, he understands that we are ALL carpetbaggers here unless your last name is "Medicine Crow" or something along those lines. The days of Montana voting blue locally and red nationally are gone.
    
    Tester was an old-school, reach-across-the-aisle Democrat who could get things done with Republican colleagues (he and Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT, bickered and sniped in public a lot, but also worked on a lot of stuff together). I miss this brand of Montana political cooperation, and I think it really could resonate nationally. But the moderates aren't going to win the 2028 primaries, we're headed for "radicals." If he had somehow eked a victory last year, I think that'd set him up for a Presidential run, but a loss is a loss, and I don't think it'll play nationally.
    
    
  • F.R. in Abilene, KS: The Democratic Party should adopt a rule that nobody over the age of 60 is eligible for the presidential nomination for the next 20 years. Sorry, Jon.
  
  
• The Bottom Line: We're still in the midst of a run of folks who are just a little too far outside of the mainstream of the 2025 Democratic Party, for one reason or another (mostly age), to be plausible. Though maybe that changes in the next entry.

Next week, it's #36, Jon Stewart. If readers have comments about Stewart running for president in 2028, please send them to comments@electoral-vote.com.